cannelloni stuffed minced beef recipe

Annabel (aka Bel) and I were at the supermarket quite a while ago and as we walked through the pasta section, she pointed out Barilla’s Cannelloni, asking me if I had seen such a pasta shape before. Despite being quite a pasta fan, I have never noticed nor tried it before. We decided to get it. Bel is a really awesome cook and one day, we were surprised with cannelloni stuffed with minced beef for dinner – it was heavenly!

It was really fun writing up this recipe since Bel hardly ever measures any of the ingredients. Hence, I ended up having to quiz her and to challenge her to give me less approximates. Like other pastas, baked cannelloni is a very versatile dish and you could potentially fill them with almost anything! Think of it as a clear-the-fridge meal where you just need to dice everything up and fill the cannelloni.

Instructions:
1. Over medium fire, put the butter in a medium to large pot. When butter is melted, add corn starch, milk and cream. Whisk the mixture until it is homogeneous.

2. Pour in the cheddar cheese and continue whisking. Add the salt and whisk until the the sauce is thick, about 3 minutes. If the sauce becomes too thick for your liking, add water to thin it down. Taste and add more salt if desired.

Instructions:
1. In a large heavy bottomed pot, pour water until it is 1/2 to 3/4 full. Add the oil and the salt and set over high heat. Boil until cannelloni is slightly soft but not fully cooked, about 8 minutes. When done, strain the water out and pour cold tap water over the pasta so that they do not stick.

2. Preheat oven to 190°C or 375°F.

3. Take out a large rectangular baking dish. Holding the cannelloni with you left hand and a teaspoon on your right hand, scoop some of the filling and fill the cannelloni. Lay the filled cannelloni on the baking dish. It is okay to put multiple layers of filled cannelloni on top of one another if there are extra. Do not throw away the cannelloni that are completely broken. You can lay them on top.

4. Pour the sauce over the filled cannelloni, spreading it evenly. Sprinkle the tomato liquid all over and grate as much parmesan cheese as you desire on top. Put in preheated oven and bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until the top is brown.